Five women who survived grooming gang abuse have demanded an apology from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, accusing him of making degrading and humiliating comments that questioned their credibility as victims.
In a joint statement, the women said Farage’s remarks showed ignorance about grooming and dismissed their lived experiences. “Nigel Farage should apologise. What he said about us is categorically untrue … We are survivors of grooming and grooming gangs,” they stated.
The backlash followed Farage’s suggestion during a press conference on Monday that some of the women advising the government’s grooming inquiry were not genuine victims of grooming gangs but of a very different kind of sexual abuse.
His comments came after five members of the survivor advisory panel wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying they would only continue their work if Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips remained in post and all victims’ voices were included in the inquiry.
The survivors said Farage’s claims forced them to defend ourselves and prove that we are victims again, adding that such remarks risk undermining the inquiry’s credibility.
The inquiry was set up in June after Whitehall adviser Louise Casey recommended an investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation.
While Casey’s report noted that men of Asian heritage were disproportionately represented in some cases, it also warned against generalising or excluding other forms of exploitation.
The Reform UK has not yet issued an apology. Reform MP Lee Anderson said the party would hold a “grown-up conversation” with the women about their experiences.
